The present invention relates generally to the field of personal computing, and in particular to a method and apparatus for automated data exchange between computers over a network.
The Internet and the World Wide Web have dramatically changed the nature of business computing. New and expanded opportunities for business-to-business computing are emerging under the umbrella of so-called xe2x80x9cE-businessxe2x80x9dxe2x80x94the execution of business processes with the assistance of Internet technologies.
The development of E-business on the Internet is following a track similar to that experienced by intra-corporate business computing. Early networking within corporations typically consisted of mainframe-connected terminals. Users were limited to viewing and entering data, and had to pore over printouts and reports to analyze their data. Decision making was a function of back-end systems. The advent of the personal computer (PC), and applications like spreadsheets enabled users to use their data, bringing reporting, analysis and presentation onto the desktop. The result was a marked increase in users"" ability to act quickly, thereby heightening corporations"" business agility.
Internet computing is on a similar path. With browsers and the World Wide Web (xe2x80x9cthe Webxe2x80x9d), the Internet today is largely used for viewing and entering data. The pivotal change that is currently underway is moving the industry towards a more interactive Internet that enables applications to not only view, but also to make active use of data. As this transition occurs, there is a need for business systems to evolve from the current xe2x80x9cvendor-centricxe2x80x9d model to a xe2x80x9ccustomer-centricxe2x80x9d model. In this context, the term xe2x80x9cvendorxe2x80x9d is intended to refer not just to a provider of products, but also more generally to a provider of information (e.g., a server computer). Similarly, xe2x80x9ccustomerxe2x80x9d is intended to refer not just to a purchaser, but also more generally to a receiver of information (e.g., a client computer).
To illustrate the vendor-centric nature of the Internet today, consider a typical business use of the Web where a vendor sponsors a web site to make information concerning the vendor""s goods available for viewing by its customers. Such a web site would typically reside on a web server that might have access to data maintained by one or more xe2x80x9clegacyxe2x80x9d systems in the vendor""s enterprise (e.g., an inventory system, an order processing system). A customer can then use a web browser to view information from the web site by issuing an HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) request, to which the web site would respond by downloading the requested information in an HTML (HyperText Markup Language) document. This arrangement is considered vendor-centric because the customer must effectively go to the vendor for the desired information. The customer has very little control over the format in which the information is presented, and cannot integrate the information with information from other sources except by cut-and-paste.
Another typical vendor-centric use of the Internet today is exemplified by storefront-type web sites that enable a customer to go to a single location to get information from multiple sources. For example, consider a web site sponsored by a travel service that allows users to reserve airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, and so on. In such an arrangement, the travel service""s web site would reside on a web server that might interface with a number of other web servers respectively associated with various vendors (e.g., an airline, a hotel, a rental car company). The travel service""s web server, though likely interacting with these other web servers in much the same way that a customer would directly, serves as a source of consolidated information. Nevertheless, even in this somewhat more sophisticated arrangement, the emphasis is still on the customer going to the vendor to get information.
While the Internet has certainly enhanced the ability to do business electronically, vendor-centric implementations such as those described above are relatively inflexible when it comes to meeting the needs of any particular customer. Rather, the approach is more in the nature of xe2x80x9cone size fits all,xe2x80x9d meaning there is typically only one way of obtaining information from the vendor (e.g., downloading a web page), and that information may or may not meet a given customer""s particular needs.
Embodiments of the present invention are directed, at least in part, to providing tools that enable a shift from the present vendor-centric business uses of the Internet to more customer-centric uses. Such embodiments aim to provide the type of customer-centric interactions previously associated with electronic data interchange (EDI) applications, but without the rigidity inherent in EDI. This goal is accomplished through the use of xe2x80x9cE-business componentsxe2x80x9d that enable a high-degree of user flexibility through features such as mobile/disconnected use, real-time alerts, and information embedded in a customer""s application context. E-business components enable truly customer-centric interactions on the Internet, and make it possible for businesses to form partnerships with minimal effort.
The present invention is directed generally to apparatus and methods for exchanging data between computers. In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, an improved component is provided for facilitating E-business processes over a network such as the Internet. Such embodiments promote a shift from the vendor-centric approach of existing E-business processes to a more flexible customer-centric approach.
In accordance with one particular embodiment, an apparatus for exchanging data between a user computer and a provider computer includes a component having executable instructions for transferring data between the user computer and the provider computer. The component also includes a first interface to an application resident on the user computer and a second interface to the provider computer. In addition, the apparatus includes a documentation module containing rules for exchanging data between the user computer and the provider computer.